And BA said the cabin crew had done an “excellent job” evacuating passengers via the emergency chutes.

BA helpline ONLY for anyone concerned about friends or relatives: 0800 389 4193 or 44 191 211 3690 from overseas

BA general enquiries: 0870 850 9850

Chief executive of BA Willie Walsh said he was “very proud” of the crew and the Boeing 777 was an “excellent aircraft”.

“We train hard for incidents such as this, and all that training has paid off today,” Mr Walsh said.

BAA said it was doing everything possible to avoid further delays and cancellations on Friday.

It said in a statement: “Heathrow has received special dispensation from the Department for Transport to make some night flights and have notified local residents who may possibly be inconvenienced by this exceptional circumstance.”

Flights are expected to continue until about 0130 GMT on Friday.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly paid tribute to those involved in the incident and said she was “relieved” there had been no serious injuries.

“British Airways have assured me that they are doing everything possible for the passengers and crew involved,” Ms Kelly said.

“The next step is to find out what happened and why.”

HEATHROW AIRPORT

Opened: 1946

Runways: 2

Terminals: 4 (5 by Mar 2008)

Land area: 1214ha

Movements per year: 469,560

Passengers per year: 67.7m

World rank (by passengers): 3

Source: BAA

Aviation expert Kieran Daly, from Flight International magazine, said not a single Boeing 777 had been lost in a crash since the aircraft was launched in 1995.

A total of 221 flights out of a normal 1,300 were cancelled on Thursday, Heathrow’s operator BAA said. Most of those were to short haul destinations – just eight were long haul.

A further 24 flights bound for Heathrow were diverted to Stansted, Gatwick and Luton Airports.

John McDonnell MP, whose Hayes and Harlington constituency includes Heathrow, said the incident underlined concerns about extending the airport.

“This is a near miracle that neither passengers or anyone on the ground has been seriously injured,” Mr McDonnell said.

The plane involved is one of 43 Boeing 777s in BA’s fleet. It is believed to be about six years old.